U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,983,934, 3,307,210 and 3,345,661 are illustrative of prior art machines that mold the quarter of a shoe upper by pressing the quarter against a male mold by a female mold. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,307,210 and 3,345,661, the quarter is also flanged by causing wipers to wipe the margin of the quarter against the bottom surface of the male mold. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,934 the male mold is so supported that its bottom extends substantially vertically. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,210, the male mold is supported bottom-up. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,661, the male mold is supported bottom-down by a stem that is secured to and extends downwardly of the bottom surface of the male mold. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,983,934 and 3,345,661 pincers are provided that grip the side portions of the upper margin while the molding and flanging operation takes place with the pincers being disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,934 as moving away from the rearmost portion of the male die prior to the molding operation to thereby stretch the quarter about the male mold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,626 shows a heel seat lasting machine that stretches an upper about the heel portion of a last by pincers that grip the upper margin prior to the clamping of the heel portion of the upper against the last by a heel clamp and prior to the wiping of the heel portion of the upper margin against an insole mounted to the bottom of the last by heel wipers. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,626, the pincers may be caused to release the upper margin after they have been moved away from the heel portion of the last to effect the stretching operation if the upper is determined by the operator to have not properly effected the stretching operation and the pincers may then be caused to again grip the upper margin and effect the stretching operation.